Fire guts Des Moines home

Firefighters gather outside of a house in the 3100 block of East 43rd Street. (Andrea Melendez/The Register)

Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of a blaze that gutted a Des Moines home Wednesday evening.

Firefighters responded to the 3100 block of East 43rd Street after 5 p.m. to find heavy smoke coming from the one-story home.

It took crews about 25 minutes – longer than usual – to knock down the main fire but they spent several hours working at the scene.

Firefighters had to evacuate the house about 15 minutes into the effort due to low visibility and trouble dealing with smoke in a room with high vaulted ceilings. Crews were able to re-enter and finish the job shortly after, once they had cut a vent in the roof, said Des Moines Fire Lt. Chad Smeins.

While it wasn’t immediately clear where in the home the fire started, the fire got into the ceiling and spread throughout the structure, Smeins said.

The home’s only occupant at the time was out of the house by the time firefighters arrived. He was evaluated by medics at the scene and released. No firefighters were injured.

The home suffered “considerable damage” throughout, Smeins said. Crews had to pull down most of the ceiling and large parts of the roof were soaked through with water. The inside had smoke, fire and water damage.

Firefighters also had to contend with the heat outside, with temperatures still higher than 100 degrees by 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

“It’s always hot inside, that’s a factor that doesn’t change,” Smeins said. “But when you come out to cool off, you can’t.”

Crews use the department’s rehab unit, which carries fans, water and chairs to back up firefighters on hot days.